[Victor Wembanyama] on coming off the bench: “Can you be Sixth Man of the Year and MVP”?
… And comeback player of the year.
[deleted]
Ballon d’Or in the bag
And a Nobel Peace Prize
*FIFA
FIBA**
Heisman while we’re at it
Give him the Cy Young award too
Most Improved
Bro leave ROTY for Harper 😂
The Ben Simmons award
Genuinely don’t get why when he has so much easy shit to rag on people still go at Simmons for this when Blake Griffin did it first.
Whoa whoa whoa. I don’t know if he’s reached the heights of 3 time ROY great Ben Simmons
Give him the Clutch Player of the Year too while we’re at it
He gonna expedition 33 the shit outta these awards
The Kim Kardashian award
It’s true…. Story of the Comeback Player of the Year Award
And the accompanying Ray J award for the silkiest shot.
Funny story: the NBA used to have a Comeback Player of the Year Award, but after about 5-10 years, they decided they’d rather not highlight the fact that there’s at least one star with a devastating injury (or drug problem) every year
Yeah, in the 80s it was the powder. 😂
Replaced by MIP in the 80s and never brought back again
Just here to say that the arm gains on a 7’5” dude with a fucking 8’0” wingspan are impressive
Yeah it’s kinda crazy.Him standing side by side next to Chet Holmgren really puts it into perspective.Gonna be an interesting rivalry hopefully!
If I’m the okc coach, I’m sending Chet to that monk off season too and making sure he eats 18 millions grams of protein a day while in the gym for 17hrs lmao
“Yall mind if a white boy speaks a lil chinese?”
Go ahead Chet, blow these people’s mentalities
Speak a little Chinese for em Chet
No time, chet didn’t clock out until June.
Hopefully someone can help him out with that this year.
Chet would need to improve quite a bit for it to be a rivalry tbh, Wemby is on a different level. Here’s hoping though
Chet and this guy has completely different shoulder muscle shapes though.
Chet is fully lanky tall timber.
This guy actually has a decent shot at building muscle that looks like muscle with these muscle shapes.
Side delt action already too good.
I’d be thrilled to pieces if he grew David Robinson arms.
I wouldn’t, that sounds horrifying actually
Like just looking at his proportions would make me uncomfortable at that point
I’d be worried one of his knees would just completely give out one day grabbing a routine rebound or something if he built a David Robinson frame. It will be interesting to watch how he chooses to physically develop over the next few years, because he’s got the best information and resources anyone his size has ever had about avoiding injuries. But in general, the human knees and ankles did not evolve to withstand the kinds of forces that a frame his size places on them, and adding mass increases that risk
Honestly if you want somewhat of a comparison look at Rudy. He has to be one of the most jacked NBA players and at his height??
No no, not the frame, just the arms.
I would have the weirdest fear boner
yeah having a second pair of arms would really break the game
If he ever has a Giannis like transformation the league is finished
Bro trained like Batman during the offseason
What the hell did those monks teach him? Were they just showing him WWF heel promos the entire time?
##WHAT?
The what chant is the 2nd worst chant in the history of wrestling. I don’t hate them doing it to Austin when it was his thing, but every other instance of it is absolutely obnoxious
WHAT?
1st being?
We want tables. Not every match uses tables and it kills the moment when they chant for it and then it doesn’t happen
lil jon would like to have a word
Oooooh yeah!
He will break your offense and make you humble
…YEAH!
The be the man, you gotta beat the man. Woooooooooo!!!!
This is hilarious
Fire
They taught ancient Asian art of Emotional Damage
Wemby is hilarious lol
Him being an actual Alien and French makes for some hilarious quotes tbh. Zero filter.
SVG telling Grady to not mention an alien because they get deported during the broadcast was hilarious.
was laughing so hard at that and the other announcer reactions. you could hear them trying to not make the sounds of laughing over the mic
It’s rare an NBA commentator makes my jaw drop, but I couldn’t believe they said that live.
The Van Gundy bros aren’t for everyone but they always crack me up
I think they’re funny, I just wish they took their job a tiny bit seriously. It honestly feels like they’re just sitting down to watch the game with buds and really nice plays routinely happen that don’t even get commented on because they’re mid-story and can’t be bothered to call the action.
Wasn’t the cousin discussion from Jeff?
He seems to get it. Way ahead of his years
Theodoros Papaloukas was the prototype in the Euroleague. In 2007 he won the MVP award while coming from the bench.
the true GOAT
Can anyone tell me the logic here behind not starting your best player?
I’m by no means a professional basketball player and I do not have any answer to your question, however I did play Div1 ball in Australia and found I played much better coming from the bench even though I started for a very long time - bit of pressure relief and I could feel/watch the game out before stepping on the court?
Hi Jordan Clarkson
Exactly, prime example! I was a bigger guard (horrible conditioning) and everything was about pacing to me, see the other team don’t love pushing and abusing fast breaks I’d spend a couple minutes maping everything out come in and make them uncomfortable
Didn’t know this guy won a MVP from the bench, would have made me feel better about my weird self benching haha
Once he moved to cska, his role was coming off the bench
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodoros_Papaloukas
He took.a step up.as a major contributor by his 3rd year with cska
He used his first few minutes on the bench to analyze the opponent and their weaknesses and made an immediate impact when he came in
https://kosmagazin.com/theodoros-papaloukas-euroleague-icon/
His minutes with cska rose until at peak, it wasn’t that different from when he was starting with olympiakos, just before the transfer. And he spoke of ‘hardening his body’
You can come off the bench and still be minutes leader on the team. Some of the seasons Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams were winning those awards, they were up there as top 3 in minutes per a game on their team.
I didn’t watch euroleague but I imagine it could be for many reasons. Maybe out of respect for another senior player who played the same position but refused to be seen as a bench player. I’m thinking of guys like Carmelo Anthony and even Westbrook who refused to come off the Bench until the tail end of their careers despite there being better options.
His minutes per a game were actually around the same for every season except his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th season. His stats were not super impressive to me: 21. 8 minutes per a game to average 7.7 points, 4.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per a game with shooting splits of 24.2% from 3, 50% field goal%, 69% freethrow percentage.
He wasn’t even in the top 100 of points scoring and not even the best on his own team. He was #3 in assists in the league, barely cracked the top 100 for steals per a game, barely cracked top 100 for rebounds per a game.
He was third in total minutes and .2 minutes per game away from third there as well. So he was basically a starter that took his break in the first few minutes instead of the third quarter it seems.
I mean, lil bro just missed like 3 weeks so probably a good ideas to ease him back in
My Hs coach sophomore year did this with are best player and put it on him being the most versatile player (now doing this outside of HS probably my best guess cause the player best off the bench)
Strategic availability. We had a guy like that in college… His body couldn’t handle playing more than 20ish minutes per game and so we’d play him 5-7 minutes in the first half, then if necessary the final 10 minutes + OT. It was all about maximizing his impact.
We had a good team and so it was less than ideal, but we had him when we needed him.
Not starting doesn’t mean much if you’re coming in early anyway. Euroleague has far more flexibility in rotations than the NBA, where there’s a designated first and second unit. In the Euroleague starting the game or coming off the bench might solely depend on the specific matchups. You’ll see this a lot with centers or defensive guards starting the game with the opponent team’s best player as their assignment.
You could have two distinct shifts in the rotation. Starters have multiple good players and the bench squad is carried by the guy who doesn’t need as much support.
Damn yall are finally starting to turn on him
People act like anyone displaying some confidence is immediately an asshole. But then they complain that the league is boring. Wemby’s funny as hell
Redditors hate when others do well
Redditors hate
Haters
It’s something unique to NBA, I don’t see it in other sports, but people on Reddit (and twitter and other online spheres) get giddy with excitement to claim players’ downfalls, washed for age, injury, or some sort of regression. There’s a particular joy in it that is wild. Other sports I feel like people respect the superstars more, but hating on them in the NBA and relishing their downfall is a thing.
Speak for yourself I wished downfall on tom brady for 20 years
Redditors hate testosterone
But he’s going to be a billionaire and he doesn’t deserve all that money- I’m obviously equal in talent and with more work ethic than him.
steroids. mean rack.
aka they hate themselves.
It doesnt matter the subreddit. They are always HATING. With absolutely no common sense or logic.
This is undoubtedly true
Putting the tall in tall poppy syndrome
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome
Eh he’s definitely arrogant but backs it up. As long as he’s not a sore winner I’m here for it.
Plus I guess I’ll root for Fox and Barnes since the Kings suck ballz so go Wemby go
Funny how, I mean funny like he’s a clown, he amuse you? He make you laugh, he’s here to fucking amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How is he funny?
Has it occurred to you that it’s possible some of the people who dislike this behaviour aren’t the ones complaining? Mind-blowing revelation, I know
You can tell how insecure some people are when they react negatively to someone being their own biggest cheerleader. It’s so weird.
Some people are honestly addicted to constant dooming and pessimism. Makes em angry to see someone not hate themselves and everything
How and why is this a thing
Its a thing because it takes a level of bravery and sincerity to go through the world with a positive outlook. Being a doomer makes me feel above it all, like they see things that others dont. What they dont realize is that everyone knows that shit isnt all peachy, most people just dont devote their whole existence to bitching about negatives in a world full of positives
Well said
Nah, people just hate being on the other end. Like if someone is talking shit in a game or saying they’re really good people react poorly (because they have fragile egos). Need more Wembys in the world
It happens once you move from “this team is spooky” to “this team is going to whoop my team’s ass every time we play”. You guys are probably half a season or so away from that point and the hate will pour in just before you face the lakers in the playoffs (and commence BTA)
couldn’t phrase it better.
They hated the Boring Spurs and the backhand compliments Snaq had for TD. SWIST It’s a cycle.
Every superstar player has to be the villain to somebody. I think any Wemby hate is yet more proof he’s become a top 5 player in the league
Nobody is hating on him yet. Calling him cocky isn’t hate. He is cocky. He knows he is. I love it.
It will be inevitable the more legit the spurs become, I remember when Shai was a fan favorite too lol just wait till Wemby has to play Jokic in a playoff series or wins an award over him 😭🤣
His fans had a meltdown bc Wemby said jokic was the best offensive player in the NBA and Giannis and sga were the best players 🤷♀️
It’s so fucking funny tbh, Wemby showing confidence in this interview and Shai complementing the Spurs in the post before this, both got hated.
Players can never win with whatever they say, good, bad or generic. So best just ignore them.
I’ll always love the quiet, low key nature of Duncan, it was a fun contrast to the bombastic personalities of his peers such as Kobe and KG.
But it’s also plenty fun too for a guy to be confident and express his personality more openly. It’s an entertainment league at the end of the day, driven by athletes who are the top pd their game. Let them jaw and have fun. Wemby is hysterical, and he leaves everything on the court, what else can people want?
Nailed it. Tim Duncan is my favorite basketball player of all time, but Wemby is not Tim Duncan.
It’s our turn to have a guy that likes to talk his shit, damn it.
dude. anyone with a brain isn’t turning on him. he’s lovable as hell
Wemby having an edge and showing more personality is what the league needs. Can’t be the face without haters
It’s a good indication that a player has reached that superstar status when they officially got haters lol.
I feel like it’s impossible not to love this guy
Nah I’m starting to love him
i won’t ever turn on him until he plays us (or if something off the court happens)
wait till he starts winning and beating people’s teams badly lol
Welcome
Ppl are really twisting his words to fit their agendas and to manufacture drama… Wemby is saying facts and u got grown adults acting like children and saying hes throwing”shade”
They get all insecure when they look down on their gut hanging out and then start typing trash with food crumbs on their fingers.
Imagine being jealous of a 20 year old athletic freak. Wemby is one of one, if that makes someone self conscious can imagine what average dudes who are just better than them do to their confidence.
imagine what average dudes who are just better than them do to their confidence.
Too many guys like that out there, unfortunately. Same dudes who get jealous of average dudes on social media, never mind irl, and they mentally spiral.
I don’t know why, he’s a top 5 player in the world and he talks like it
I like his confidence haha
6man, MVP, DPOTY.
Can he still get to 65 games? Or is he past the threshold?
Edit: He’s missed 12⁄25 games so he can still get to 70 games if he plays those that remain.
He missed 12 games I believe, so he has to essentially play the rest of the season while missing less than 5 games to be eligible
His hate for Chet will fuel him to 65 games.
I think he wants it, so all I can say is look out. He’s got Jordan in him. Iykyk
They gave MIP to Ja, so MIP is possible too. It’s likely only possible this year since it’s really hard to see how he can improve as much as he did this year in the future to overpower other MIP candidates.
Back then it seemed like a dumb award to give him as a rising star. After this season, maybe it really was his peak.
Most improved
And MIP
Stay healthy wemby
Will he play enough games tho?
No
THIS IS KELDON JOHNSON ERASURE
This is not where I thought Wemby would be after visiting a monk temple lol
“inner peace through acceptance”
yeah accepting that you are better than everyone else
He also trained with KG, so…
didn’t he say he went there for physical training? doesn’t exactly sound like the most traditional Buddhist monastery
I mean he physically trained kung fu the whole time.
Looked it up and Manu was 10th in MVP the year he won Sixth Man
By most metrics he was definitely a top 10 player that year
Now imagine if he had lebrons level of usage. He def could have been mvp.
Rings>MVP
RANGZ ernuh!
You can’t be anything without playing 65 games brother
Honestly, the league has so many awesome personalities these days. Allen/Mitchell, Wemby, Jokic, and the Austin Reaves/Luka frenemyship are all hilarious. Hart/Brunson/KAT post game pressers are gold. In terms of the sport just being likeable, this era is top tier.
Bros talking like Podziemski
except podz sucks and wemby is a generational talent
Lol yeah he’s getting there. Like… he’s (very) good, but let’s tap the brakes on claiming awards a little bit.
Full-gas. I want my players to be cocky - Cockiness is the heart of rivalry and competition. If other players feel like he’s out of line, then go prove it when you play against him.
He just ended a 16 game streak coming off the bench for his team, the guy has every right to be confidant
I’m pretty sure there actually is a minutes limit for 6MOTY
Nah you just have to have more games where you came off the bench than games where you started. Jason Terry won it with almost 34 minutes a game.
Ginobili was playing a lot of minutes though surely?
Ginobili maxed out at 31.1 MPG in 2008 and started 23 games (the only year he won 6MOTY). That’s low starters minutes at best, especially for that era, but you’re right for that year
The only other season where he averaged more than 30 mpg was 2011, when he started 79⁄80 games and played 30.3 mpg
Every other year of his career was between 18-29 mpg, usually around 27
No. The limit is more games off the bench than started
My MyvCareer player says yes and he’s like the goat sooo
Love it
Never change, Wemby.
Well can you??
Love this guy. Looking forward to years of this.
u/aashylarry learn how to use quotes. He didn’t say “6th man of the year and MVP”, if you’re gonna make assumptions u gotta put them in brackets [].
This dude is becoming more insufferable by the minute.
chill bro don’t trip , worry about the finals fr
Not if you only play 40 games a season
man is gonna make me be a spurs fan
Talk yo shit! Man
When I’m looking at him i don’t see more then 1x MVP in his career but i do see multiple DPOYs.
Not entirely because of him having increased chances of missing games but overall consistency of play. Don’t think he will ever have the endurance to be truly elite offensively game in/out without breaks in between.
Perennial top 5 player without truly being THE BEST one over very long periods of time.
I gotta disagree. If he’s healthy, I could see him winning multiple MVPs
Unfortunately I don’t see him ever being fully healthy for multiple seasons. He will most likely win 1. Would love to be wrong but with his size I have serious doubts.
I could see him never being the best offensive player in the league, but given how utterly dominant he is on defense combined with top 5-ish offensive production that would be enough to pin him as the best in the league imo
It seems to me like it should happen at least once 🤷🏿♂️
You can tell how well liked Wemby is because if like 90% of players said this instead they’d be getting shit on for being cocky lmao
can you play 65 games big dog
Victor has kind of got a big, arrogant mouth this year. Has he always talked like this? lol …
25 and 12 ain’t gonna get an mvp bruh
You have to love this man’s spirit, a breath of fresh air
He is going to have an ego probable I can already tell.
The media needs to make this happen. Lets go for the jugular. MVP, DPOY, CPOY, All NBA 1st team and All NBA Defense 1st team.
He start to believe
Lmao!
65 game rule is heavy handed imo.
Make it 60. Playing 3/4’s of the season should be enough.
Wemby cutting promo in the league
Ginobili was a top 10 player in 2008, probably the closest comparison.
His rankings that year: 6th in VORP, 7th in PER, 12th in Win Shares, 6th in WS/48 minutes, 10th in MVP voting
Not playing less than 65 games…
He can have all the hardware he wants so long as he saves us from an OKC dynasty and freezes out the (currently justified) SGA glaze around the league.
Technically, yes it’s possible. They just need to not have Wembanyama start the games before substituting in.
GOATED
Lmao I love this guy.
Don’t you need to play 65 games to qualify?
Ask Manu
he forgot DPOY as well lol